Hunted
by wolveswolvesandmorewolves
Summary: Tory and the gang are being followed. But by who? Some new characters and death.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer of course, since I don't own anything except my Fanfiction account. **

** Also sorry for keeping all my awesome Viral fans that love my fanfiction waiting: it took me longer than I thought for inspiration to strike. **

** -Lilith**

** ***  
**Tory Brennan was officially screwed.

Now, before I explain, let me tell you something. There are different levels of screwed: There's 'Oh crap I forgot my homework' screwed, there's 'Shit I just got suspended' screwed, and there's 'Oh crap I got to tell my parents that I'm pregnant 'cuz I did it with the jackass ex- boyfriend that ran off' screwed. No, I wasn't level three screwed, but I was somewhere in between two and three.

"TORY BRENNAN GET IN THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT!" A furious yell quickened our paces.

It was a peaceful Friday night. It was a bit cooler than usual, probably about seventy-five outside. Distantly I could hear water crashing against the pier, where Ben's boat rocked gently in the waves. Shelton was a bit ahead of me, black hoodie flapping in the wind as we lightly jogged over the sand dunes. Hi was behind us, panting like a dog, while Ben was at my side, making sure to keep pace with me. Coop was ahead of all of us, throwing sand into the wind as he ran.

There was an exhausted smile on my face. My hair was in a hopeless tangle and repeatedly hitting my back as I ran, the wind nipping at my legs. When I slowed down a bit, Ben walked beside me, lacing his fingers through mine.

"You okay Tor?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. Just tired and wondering how the hell I can get out of this one." I admit, and he nodded silently.

Another wild night out. Isn't that what always happens? We get in trouble, and next thing we know we're lying and stealing our way out of it. The guys blame me, but what can I say?

"Yeah, we really overdid it." He said, the soft light from the lantern on the porch making his face glow gold.

Kit probably hadn't been expecting a call from the police of a disturbance. And he probably didn't expect his perfect daughter to be the one behind it. I don't know how he found out, but chances are I'm about to find out.

I felt bad about that. Ever since I had been chained to a bench at the Falling Stars dance, he had been really on an edge. He limited the hours I could go out to see the boys, and made me swear that I wouldn't sneak out and would always tell him where I was going. But I had broken that.

"NOW TORY!" His voice yowled from the living room, and I winced. We were on the porch now, Shelton and Coop waiting for us to catch up. Shelton shot me a look.

"Tor, we can take the heat you know." He said.

Even though the act was probably an empty gesture, I needed all the help I could get. "Thanks Shelton. I'll need it. Hurry up Hi!" I call at him, and a moment later he appeared, slightly sweaty.

Taking a moment to think while Hi caught his breath, I lined up every excuse I could use, starting with the best and ending with the worst. When I was done, I squeezed Ben's hand and let a breath out through my mouth.

Before I could change my mind, I turned the knob on the door and stepped in through the house.

** *Before that happened**

"Race you Tor!"

Grinning, I kicked off my shoes and hurried after Ben, my feet so light and fast they seemed to dance on the sand.

"Damn it Ben! My legs aren't as long as yours!" I say, and he slowed down slightly, enough for me to catch up without me noticing. But I did notice anyway.

"Slow down guys!" A voice said behind us, but we didn't hear it and instead ran to the crashing waves. It was a beautiful day on Morris, and after we had stopped by to see Kit at LIRI we walked back to the beach. But before we could even get to the sand, Ben had run ahead of me.

When we got to the edge, we ran in, the waves making us slow and stumble a bit. Sea spray hit out clothes and faces, and for a moment I just wanted to stand there and look out at the Harbor, the picturesque scene in front of me.

Until Ben crashed into me, knocking me off my feet.

Thankfully it wasn't so shallow that I didn't go fully underwater, but I got my hair wet and the tips of my ears. But I was still a bit angry, until that dissolved when I looked at his face. He was grinning at me, eyes dancing, and arms on both sides of my head to support his weight.

"What the heck Ben?" I ask, pretending to be cross. But I couldn't stop the light smile from drifting to my face.

He didn't say anything, just gave me a heart-stopping grin. Thank God for awesome boyfriends.

"Uhh...guys?" Shelton said, killing the mood.

"Don't mind them Shelton. It's just the beginning of reproduction." Hi said, and I glared at him.

"Thanks guys." Ben said sarcastically after getting off of me and stretching.

"No problem. We try so hard you know, so we deserve some thanks at least." Hi replied, his voice just as sarcastic as Ben's.

Rolling my eyes, I accepted Ben's hand and let him pull me to my feet. Then I giggled and chased Shelton and Hi across the beach, a smile on my face.

**(Unknown Person's POV)**

The red-haired girl was chasing Chubby and Ribs across the beach, laughing as she did. Her boyfriend, Muscle, grinned and was watching her as she ran before settling down on the sand. The grey dog, whom they all called 'Cooper', trotted out of the woods and licked Muscle's face before laying down on his chest before Muscle lightly shoved him off.

They looked like your average teenagers.

But I knew different.

** So somebody's out to get the Virals. Hopefully I'll be able to build off of this, since my weakness is writing sequels to anything I wrote. **

** Anyway, review, follow, favorite…or do all three!  
-Lilith**


	2. Chapter 2

** So yeah. I started off pretty good. Remember guys, I don't write sequels well. So go easy on me. **

** -Lilith**

I was losing my mind in Geometry.

Have you ever been so bored you just drift off? Drift off so far you don't even hear anything going on around you? Well, I was on the way to that. The teacher's voice had become a dull drone, and I felt like banging my head against the desk.

Don't think I'm a troublemaker or something: I'm not. I get good grades, I study, and I always pay attention in class. But all we were doing was going over something I had learned a long time ago, and I didn't need help remembering it.

Closing my eyes, I felt like going to sleep. But that would ruin my good-girl reputation, so I tried to prevent myself from doing so. Easier said than done.

The door behind me opened, but I didn't look up from the tiles on the ceiling.

"Who are you?" Mr. Muffin, my teacher, asked. Turning in my seat, I tried to get a good look at the newcomer but only saw the black fabric of a hoodie, dark blue jeans, and tennis shoes as he/she walked to his desk and dropped something on it.

Mr. Muffin read it quickly before addressing the class. "Everybody, this is Ms. Feather. She is one of our new students, so I expect you all be good to her. Now, Ms. Feather, will you please take a seat behind Ms. Brennan?" He said, gesturing to the empty chair behind me.

I watched her as she walked through the aisle of desks, stepping carefully over somebody's foot. When she sat down behind me and the teacher was writing on the board again, I turned around.

"Hello. I'm Tory." I say politely, holding out a hand that she awkwardly shook. As she leaned forward, I saw a long streak of pale blond hair peek out of the shadows in the hood of her hoodie.

"Ellie." She murmured her name before letting go of my hand and fidgeting in her desk. After I realized that she wasn't going to say anything else, I continued the conversation.

"What brings you here to Bolton Prep?"

"Dropped out of my last school."

"What for?"  
"I was bullied."

"Oh. Anyway, nice to meet you." I say, turning around in my desk. That could've gone better.

After a moment I was humming under my breath.

Another few and I was tempted to text one of the guys, just to see what they were doing. Probably having a better time than I was.

Ten minutes later I was missing Coop and Ben, my two favorite boys of course.

There was a sudden tap on my shoulder, and I turned to see that Ellie had taken off her hoodie, exposing her features. I saw ice-blue eyes, staring at me shyly, and her long straight blond hair hanging down her shoulders. She wasn't wearing any makeup as far as I could tell, which was strange. Everybody I knew that looked like her would wear makeup.

"Sorry for being rude. I'm just adjusting." She said, absentmindedly doodling on the cover of her notebook to avoid my gaze.

She was shy. She was pretty. And I didn't know why, but I liked her.

"Want to sit with me at lunch today?"

After Geometry, I had one class before lunch: P.E.

"This way." I lead Ellie to the girl's locker room, and I could hear giggling as we approached. Walking inside, I carefully stepped over clothes and P.E. bags as I hurried to my little space I always changed in. Ellie set her stuff down next to mine, and wordlessly we began to change.

As I did, I let my focus drift to conversations around me.

"Oh my God, did you guys hear about the new kids this year?" A girl in my grade asked while unbuttoning her shirt.

"Yeah. Ellie Feather. She's in my Geometry class." A petite blond girl replied.

"Not just her. Chance Claybourne is back at Bolton Prep!" The brunette who had started the conversation cheered.

I swear my heart stopped.

(You know, I could tell you about Chance and I's little feud, but you should've read my first book.)

"Oh he is so hot!" Another girl chimed in, and I wanted to throw up.

"I know right. Even better, Jason is here too!" The brunette said, excited, as the other girls squealed.

Suddenly there was a noise outside the locker room, and everybody quieted, some people grabbing a shoe in case it was a nosy boy.

As it grew closer, I realized it wasn't just a person. It was three.

Oh Jesus. Please don't let it be who I think it is.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Jesus to answer my prayer.

Madison Dunkle stalked through the door, followed by her cronies, Ashley and Courtney. Madison glared at me and walked towards me, but then froze when she saw Ellie at my side. Her eyes widened before she ducked her head and practically ran to her groupies, who were staring at her with confusion.

I stared at Ellie with wide eyes. "What the heck just happened?" I asked.

"Dunno. Who are they?" She asked, nodding to the Tripod of Skank.

"That is the Tripod of Skank. They are pretty much the popular bitchy girls around here." I say, remembering her cold gaze when she watched me struggle to get the handcuffs off at the Falling Stars dance.

"Fantastic." Ellie said sarcastically, lacing up her tennis shoes before following me out the door. As we did, Madison seemed to shrink away from us.

I think I like having Ellie around.

After P.E., I could barely stop myself from running to lunch.

"Slow down!" Ellie called after me as I jogged to the cafeteria, smelling chicken and fries, which was on today's menu.

"No. You speed up!" I say with a laugh as I hear the slap of her tennis shoes behind me.

Pushing the door open wide, I took in a deep breath as my mouth watered.

The warm aroma wafted over me, making my stomach growl. I clutched it and looked around, skimming the other high-school students for the other Virals. Suddenly I saw Ben, who was walking towards me with a Foosackly's bag in his hand.

I highly recommend getting an awesome boyfriend.

Running up to him, I allowed him to scoop me up as I kissed him playfully on the mouth, then tried to snag the Foosackly's bag away from him. He held it over my head, just out of reach, until I put my hands on my hips and pretended to be mad.

"What do I have to do?" I ask, and he pretends to think for a moment.

"Kiss me." He replied, and as I leaned up he tucked the bag behind his back, but it was at a distance I could reach.

Tilting his head up to bring his lips to mine, I used my other hand to steal the Foosackly's bag. Dancing out of reach, I laughed at him and dangled the bag tauntingly.

"Are you two done? We're trying to eat." Hi said, nibbling on a fry.

"Wait." I say, leaning up to kiss Ben again before stealing a fry off of Hi's plate. "Now I'm done."

Ellie was watching us from a distance, hands awkwardly shoved into her pockets, staring at the ground. Putting the Foosackly's bag down, I hurried to her side and grabbed her hand, dragging her to our table before she could protest.

"Guys, this is Ellie. Ellie, meet the guys." I say, and Ellie looked around shyly.

"So, you single?" Hi asked, and I shot him a look. Ellie just bit her lip, not answering.

"Be nice. This is Hiram, Shelton, and Ben." I say, and Ellie pulls her hand from her pocket and waves, still staring at the table.

"Hey, go get something to eat." Shelton said, noticing that Ellie wasn't carrying a tray.

"I'll go with you-

"No, it's alright. I'll go." Shelton cut me off, rising from his chair and leading Ellie to the lunch line.

Sitting next to Ben, I watching as Ellie and Shelton selected things and put them on Ellie's tray. He even put a cookie on her tray, then slapped a five down to pay for the tray of food.

"Hmm." Ben said beside me, noticing the same thing.

"What's Ellie's story anyway?" Hi asked, turning away from the two to face me.

"She was bullied at her old school, so we all need to go easy on her, alright? It's bad enough on the first day, so let's not try to make it even worse." I say, and Ben and Hi agreed, remembering their own embarrassing first day here at Bolton Prep.

"Oh God. _They_ are back." Ben said, nodding to Chance, Jason, and Madison, who were all sitting by themselves at a table. They looked like they were having a deep conversation, occasionally stealing glances at Ellie.

"Yeah I know. But guess what?" I said, and Hi gestured for me to go on.

"Madison is terrified of Ellie."

"Thank God. Gives us less grief." Ben said, stealing a chicken finger off my plate.

"Yeah, I know. But why are they?" I ask, looking at Ellie as she walked back to our table, Shelton by her side.

Was there something more sinister about her? Some secret she had hidden behind her ice-blue eyes?

Whatever it is, I'm going to find out.

** Review: Madison, Chance, and Jason are back, Ellie Feather is a shy new girl who Madison is terrified of, and there is somebody stalking the Virals. **

** That's a lot for two chapters. **

** Anyway, thank you viralsisamazing, who commented on my first chapter. Congratulations: I now see you as a fan. All you other people who love my fanfiction: review. Seriously. You don't have to have an account to review. Bonus- if you do, chances are you will be recognized. **

** -Lillith **


	3. Chapter 3

** What happened to my fanfiction? My first fanfiction I posted got 4,010 (counting visitors) views. When I posted a sequel to that, I only got 34 (counting visitors) views. Seriously, that's depressing. **

** Anyway, enjoy. Maybe you'll be able to piece the whole picture together, but chances are you probably won't. **

** -Lilith**

After lunch, I showed Ellie to the one class she didn't have with me before hurrying to my own. Lunch had been productive: Ellie had warmed up to the boys and the other Virals were being nice and made less sarcastic comments. Ellie even invited us to come over to her house after school, which I couldn't exactly turn down since (A. She was awesome and probably the only friend I'll ever have who has the same chromosomes as me and (.B Whitney would probably make me go anyway.

During class, I got bored again. We were going over something I could explain backwards, so I spaced out. It wasn't until I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket when I snapped out of it.

Jumping in my desk, I opened my pocket wide enough so I could see inside, hoping there wasn't some flying bug inside of it. Looking around, I was pleased to see that nobody had noticed before pulling out my phone and hiding it behind my book, sliding my finger across the screen to unlock.

It was a text from Ben.

_U going 2 Ellie's aftr skool?_

Glancing up at the teacher to make sure he wasn't looking, I quickly tapped my reply.

_Yah. U coming 2?  
_Sliding my phone out of view, I waited for him to reply as I pretended to look interested in the lesson. A few seconds later, I felt my phone buzz from under my hand.

_Yup. We can all meet up at Sewee & go from ther. _

Checking again to see that the teacher wasn't watching, I replied.

_Kewl. Luv ya. C u then. _

Beneath that, on the other side of the screen, his reply popped up.

_Ily 2. C u then. _

(Ily equals 'I love you')

Even though he told me he loved me in a text, it made my heart flutter in my chest.

"Ms. Brennan, can you read aloud the next paragraph?" Mrs. Angela said at the front of the room, and I glanced down at my closed book. Damn it.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish, and she shook her head, disappointed. "Never mind, since obviously Ms. Brennan was diagnosed with a disease that makes it impossible for her to speak. Ashley, please read the next paragraph." She said, and Ashley began to read.

Madison, who sat a few seats in front of me, turned around and shot me a smirk. _Dumbass,_ she mouthed, and I rolled my eyes and mouthed _Bitch_ back to her.

She shot me the bird when the teacher wasn't looking before facing the board again. Sinking further into my chair, I sulked for a few minutes before realizing something.

It wasn't me Madison was afraid of. It was Ellie.

But why? What was so terrifying about a shy girl like Ellie?

Closing my eyes, I promised myself I would find out.

****  
Before school ended, I hurried to my locker to find Ellie standing there, fiddling with the drawstrings on her hoodie.

"Hey. Do you mind if we take Ben's boat to your place?" I ask, and she shrugs.

"No. I live on Morris, so it shouldn't be too hard to get there." She said, and I stared at her.

"Seriously?"  
"Yeah. Why?"

"The boys and I live on Morris too!" I say, and she looks a bit shocked.

"No way." She finally said, smiling a bit.

"Yeah way. That is just weird." I say, pushing the books I didn't need in my locker before grabbing the books I did need. "So, how come I've never seen you before?"

"My dad and mom got divorced. She moved downtown, and my father moved to Morris. My mom got custody of me, but I could see my dad every once and while. She got remarried but after losing her second-husband, she lost her three year old son too. Next thing I knew she committed suicide, and I went to live at my dad's house like last week." She said, and I had the feeling that she was in a lot of grief.

Wordlessly, I wrapped a hand around shoulders and hugged her. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. Anyway, we should go soon. I bet the boys are waiting for us." She said, and I slung my backpack over my shoulders before following her to the door.

Sure enough, the boys were waiting for us on the boat.

"Hey princess!" Hi called, and I didn't know who he was talking to for a moment before I saw that he was looking at me. After slapping his arm, I kissed Ben hello and we were out of there, leaving Bolton Prep behind.

"Where am I going?" Ben asked Ellie as we sped across the water.

"Morris!" I shout over the wind, and he gunned the engine, making us go faster. Turning towards the wind, I let it nip at my face, making my hair trail behind me.

Standing beside Ben, I talked to him in a low voice as the boys joked around with Ellie near the bow of the ship.

"So what is with Ellie?" He asked.

"Her parents are divorced. Her mom remarried and lost her second husband, her three year old son, and committed suicide, landing Ellie at her dad's place." I said, summarizing what Ellie had told me. He winced.

"That's terrible." He said, and I knew that he was saying that from his heart. He meant every word.

"Yeah I know. Ironically, Ellie now lives on Morris. That's just crazy." I say, and he shrugged.

"Guess. But it isn't uncommon. I mean, we live there." He said, but I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Ellie was supposed to live there, like it wasn't just a coincidence.

What was I thinking? Ellie was a shy girl, a good person. No way would she do something like that.

Still.

When we got to her house, we walked up the small pier that Ellie's father owned and through her back yard. Green manicured grass tickled my ankles, and I looked around her surprisingly luscious yard. Rose bushes grew near the wooden patio, and bananas and oranges grew from a small grove nearby. Hanging plants hung from little hooks on her patio, and a wooden rocking chair creaked as the wind made it move a bit.

"Come on." She said, leading us along a stone pathway, leading up to the wooden steps. A screen door was the only thing that separated us from her house, and as I followed her inside I realized how inviting the place really was.

We were standing in her living room. A leather sofa was against a wall, and two comfy looking chairs were practically calling me to sit in them. A huge flat screen TV glowed on the back wall, and I recognized a rerun from _Deadliest Catch_.

A man sat on the sofa, a laptop on his lap. He had sandy blond hair and the same ice-blue eyes as Ellie. Offering us a warm smile, he looked at Ellie.

"Ellie, you didn't tell me we were having guests." He said, smiling teasingly.

"Guys, this is my dad, Sam. Dad, this is Tory, Ben, Hi, and Shelton." She said, and we all waved at him. "Anyway, we'll be hanging outside if you need us."

"Cool. Although, knowing how I was when I was a teenager, you're all hungry." He said, setting his laptop to the side as he got up and walked into the kitchen I had missed. "Cookies and lemonade?"

"Love some, sir." I say, my manners kicking in.

"No need to call me that. Just call me Sam." He replied, grabbing a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and pouring it into five glasses. Then he grabbed a case of Oreos from the pantry and put some on a dish for us share.

"Thanks Sam!" Ben said, grabbing his glass and the plate before following Ellie outside.

We all sat down on the patio, snagging cookies and sipping lemonade. Hi had finished his cookies and was trying to steal some from Shelton's when he was caught.

"Give 'em back!" Shelton yelled, chasing him down the stairs.

"Probably should go do something about that." I muse, watching Shelton tackle Hi to the ground.

"That's code for 'Ben go do something' isn't it?" Ben asked, and I shot him a knowing glance. "Fine." He said, getting up and pulling Hi and Shelton apart.

Ellie and I watched them argue, smiling to ourselves. "You're really lucky to have such good friends." She said, resting her back against a wooden column that supported the awning above our heads.

"I'm glad I found them." I reply, eating a cookie that Shelton had forgotten.

A warm breeze carried the smell of fresh oranges across the patio, making me feel more comfortable. Here, sitting crossed-legged on her patio, I felt comfortable.

"Well, I got to go to the bathroom." Ellie said, getting up. "Tell me what happens."

A few seconds after she vanished, my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to find a message. Apparently a website about wolves was trending. Tapping the link, I waited for the screen to load.

What I found made my breath catch.

_Charleston: Possible Home to Human-Wolf Hybrids_

** How's that? **

** Anyway, seriously. The amount of views I'm getting for this story is depressing. The lowest amount of views for a story I've ever gotten (not including this story) is 200. **

** Anyway, review! **

** -Lilith**


	4. Chapter 4

** Thank you V6Trick-Shot and oceansoul85, for finally getting it right. Here are instructions so you can be as awesome as they are:**

** Click on the comment box. Write a comment (I don't care if it's flames, or just something you want to say). Click the 'Submit' button. **

** Is that so hard? **

** Seriously. Thank you. **

** -Lilith**

** ****  
**My heart was racing. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I scrolled down the screen with my thumb.

_Charleston, South Carolina is your average city. But I have reasons to believe that there is something unnatural going on here in this beautiful place. Recently, a scientist that worked for LIRI, a man named Dr. Karsten, was murdered. That was soon followed by the arrest of two high school students. _

_ Soon after that, another man, named Anthony Goodwin, was arrested for terrorizing four teenagers and many others in his twisted game. _

_ Those four teenager were at many of these arrests, and even though their stories are easily believable, is it possible that those teenagers were behind all of it? _

_ Dr. Karsten had been working on a secret project before he had been murdered and pronounced dead. After that, the four teenagers were plastered all over the news. Could they have to do something with Dr. Karsten's death?  
We also have reasons to believe that there may be a new strain of disease, called XPB-19: a disease infectious to both canines and humans. Scientists are still trying to prove this exists, but Dr. Karsten may have created an accidental strain, which somehow may have caught on to those four teenagers. Nothing is for sure though. _

_ As soon as I learn more, I will post more. _

_ -Vigilum's blog. _

Oh Jesus.

"BEN! HI! SHELTON! GET OVER HERE NOW!" I yell, and the boys look up from their rough-housing before walking up to me.

"What's wrong Tor?" Ben asked, leaning over my shoulder as the others did the same, trying to read the small screen. I watched their faces as blood drained out of their faces, making them look paler.

"Oh my God." Hi breathed, and I gathered them closer.

"Somebody's been watching us this entire time. And they hit a little too close to home." I whisper.

"Right. We need to figure out who the hell is behind this and take him out. Now." Shelton declared.

"My Latin is a little rusty but I know for a fact that Vigilum means 'watcher.' Watcher's blog." Hi said, examining the article again.

"What are you guys doing?" A voice said behind us, and we whirled around to see Ellie, who had one hand on the door handle and the other holding another plate of cookies she probably got for us.

"Nothing. Just taking selfies." Hi lied, and I shot him a look. Selfies? Really?

"Cool. Anyway, I just remembered that I have soccer tryouts like in twenty minutes, so-

"We'll go. Come on boys!" I say, and they all grabbed their glasses of lemonade and chug the rest before snagging a cookie off Ellie's plate, going inside to put their dishes up.

"Sorry Tor. Maybe some other time?" She said, offering me a smile.

"Yeah. That'd be great. We'll leave so you can go get changed." I say, tucking my phone into my pocket.

"Thanks for coming. Here, have this." She said, offering me the plate of cookies, which, knowing the boys, I accepted. As soon as her back was turned, I managed to eat as much as I could before tucking the plate where the boys couldn't see it. When they came back out, they looked around.

"Where did the cookies go?" Hi asked.

"I dom know." I say, still chewing on a cookie. Ben grinned, walked up to me, and kissed me soundly on the lips, teasing my mouth apart to steal a cookie from me. When he pulled back, he smiled, chewing, and I rolled my eyes.

"Damn it Tor. Those were the minty Oreos!" Shelton said, which made me feel better. Not only had I managed to steal Oreos, I managed to steal _minty_ Oreos. Even better!

"Anyway, we got to go. Come on guys!" Shelton said, and we hurried to the boat, casting a wave at Ellie as we puttered off the pier before going out far into the Harbor.

I didn't know where we were going, but Ben seemed to. When we stopped, we couldn't see Ellie's house anymore. The water made our boat rock gently, and I realized that all Ben had done was cut the engine in the middle of the Harbor.

"Alright guys, what do we know about this blog?" Ben asked, sitting in between Shelton and I. Hi and I were on our phones, finding out more details about this Vigilum guy.

"That article was posted just a few days ago. Vigilum normally posts things along the lines of all the awesome stuff in Charleston, like how beautiful the beach is and what not." Hi said, flicking the screen with his thumb.

"It doesn't say anything specific about his profile, but it's obvious this guy lives in Charleston." I say, scanning his profile page and finding nothing interesting.

Suddenly two things connected in my mind. "Oh!" I gasp, attracting attention from the other Virals.

"What? What is it Tory?" Shelton asked, tugging his ear.

"I think I know who posted this."

The next day, I stalked into school with so much anger and adrenaline to scare a water buffalo.

The boys had no clue what I was going of course. I didn't need their help on this. I could handle this by myself, no matter how many times they reminded what happened when they let me go deal with things by myself.

"Chance! Madison! Jason!" I call, seeing them all huddled by a locker, watching something on one of their phones.

"What Boat Girl?" Madison asked, sneering at me.

"What the hell? Didn't I tell you to leave me and my friends alone?" I ask, stomping towards them with so much anger I probably had smoke coming out my ears.

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked, his eyebrows furrowing together. Chance and Madison shared a confused look.

"Vigilum's blog. You did it. And I want to know why, since I though being sent to a mental institute was humiliating enough for you." I growl.

"Vigil what? What blog?"

"This." I say, pulling out my phone and pulling up an article off of Vigilum's blog about the manatees in Charleston Harbor. They all squinted at it, read the words, and then shook their heads.

"We had nothing to do with that."

"Can you explain to me why you're so afraid of Ellie?" I ask, and their eyes grow cold in a flash.

"None of your business." Chance said frostily, and they walked off, noticing that they had drawn attention to themselves.

I stood there, confused, not understanding. Then I turned around, heading back to _Sewee_, where Ben was waiting for me.

Heading up the pier, I opened my mouth to call to him, but the words died on my tongue.

I had found Ben.

Unfortunately, he was kissing Ellie.

**Did anybody see that coming? **

** Anyway, sorry to all the people who love my story, but I think that this fanfiction will be shorter than Next. I have to think it over, sort out all the ideas I have. **

** Comment!  
-Lilith**


	5. Chapter 5

** Seriously, did anybody see that coming? **

** What do you think of Ellie now? **

** Comment!**

** -Lilith**

Oh Jesus.

Ben…and Ellie…kissing.

Finally, my mind and my mouth connected.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

They broke apart, breathing hard, and Ben looked at me before wincing. "Tory, I swear-

"Swear what Ben? That you just weren't kissing Ellie? That you told me you loved me before making moves on my friend? God Ben. I thought you were better than that. I guess I was wrong." I say coldly, then stepped off the pier, shaking my head.

Deep inside, my façade hadn't sunk through. My heart felt like it had been squeezed painfully, and I wanted to cry. But not here. Not in front of other people.

My breath hitched, and to hide the tears in my eyes, I ran blindly down the beach, not knowing where I was going but not caring either. All I knew was that I had to get away, had to think, had to get rid of the heartbreaking image in my mind.

"Tory, wait!" I heard Ben say, but all my anger, shock, and sadness combined.

**Snap. **

My legs ran inhumanly fast, the world blurring. I didn't care who was watching. I just needed to go. Now.

Suddenly I skidded, smelling wood, dog, and stale pizza. Shelton, Hi, Ben, and I's scents too. Home.

I was in front of the Bunker.

Making a split second decision, I slipped inside, barely able to see through my watery eyes. Collapsing on the comfy couch, I curled my legs into my chest and cried, letting all of it go.

**Snup. **

Had it all been a fake? When Ben told me he wanted to be more than pack mates, he sounded serious. And the way he would kiss me, like he loved me…

But still. Ben could've been faking the whole thing, waiting to meet a better girl through me. That thought made me grit my teeth, and I wished I could just make him burn to the ground with a single look.

"Damn it Brennan." I say to myself, digging my nails into the sofa. "Goddamn it."

That was all I could say before I cried again.

When I was done, I glanced at the clock to see that it was eleven thirty-two. Too late to go to school now. Telling myself to just stay here until I could bear looking at Ben's face again, I curled up deeper into the sofa, closing my eyes and drifting off into a listless sleep.

My phone buzzed, jolting me awake. "What?" I say aloud, tapping the screen, knowing that my hair was in a terrible tangle around my head, my blouse and skirt were wrinkled, and my eyes were still red from crying.

It was a text from Ellie. I hesitated, hovering my finger over the screen, before tapping it, curiosity getting to me.

**R u ok?**

Letting a deep breath out through my nose, I tapped a reply.

**Fine. What happened btween u and Ben?**

A minute later, I got a reply back and read it quickly.

**Idk. He was taking me 2 skool when we just kissed. Aftr u ran off, I ditched him and went 2 skool. Idk wher he went. **

That surprised me.

**Hes not ther?**

Beneath that, her text bubble appeared. It said one word.

**Nope.**

Hmm.

**Im at my house. Hes not here. He must be at his house. **

Ok I lied. But I wasn't ready to tell Ellie about the Bunker yet.

**Oh. Anyway, ill make it up 2 u. me, u, Shelly and Hi at my place 2nite 4 a sleepovr. They can sleep in a guest bedrm and we can sleep in mine. **

A sleepover huh? That did sound inviting. I needed to talk to Ellie face-to-face about this, and I needed to just go crazy for one night. Besides, Whitney has been nagging me to spend more time with Ellie like one minute she'd be here and suddenly she'd be gone.

**Sounds good. C u ther aftr skool. **

I spent most of the day in the Bunker, nibbling on food, watching _the Notebook _and _Titanic_ on my laptop, and generally wallowing in my tears. But by three, I was dying to go to Ellie's house.

Straightening my uniform, I brushed my hair back and made myself look more presentable before stepping into my house.

"Hello dear!" Whitney called from the kitchen, and I smelled the amazing aroma of chicken. Nom nom nom. Sadly, I had more pressing matters to attend to than devouring chicken.

"Whitney, I was wondering if you could tell Kit that I would be spending the night at Ellie's-

"A sleepover! Yay! I can't believe it!" Whitney cheered before I could even finish my sentence.

"Yeah, and I should go get packed. But tell Kit for me, okay?" I say, leaving Whitney bubbling with excitement downstairs as I head to my room.

Flopping on my bed, I stared at the ceiling for a moment before grabbing a duffel bag from the closet. Stuffing clothes, shampoo, conditioner, tooth paste, my tooth brush, my Mac and my phone inside it, I hurried to what was left of my closet to change. Shrugging off my blouse, I slipped a T-shirt over my head and changed into sweat pants, which I would need since it looked like I would be biking over to Ellie's.

When I was done, I trotted down the stairs to find Whitney snagging her car keys off the counter. "What are you doing?" I asked, a bit fearful, as she walked to the door.

"Driving you there of course!" She said, gesturing for me to follow.

"Uh, no thanks. I can walk." Anything but spending a car ride with the Barbie.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. I'll drive you." She insisted, and before I could resist, she shoved me out the door.

When I got there, I was more than joyful to step out of the car and wave Whitney goodbye. I know she had moved in and all, but I would never ever be able to think of her as my mom.

My mood lightened when I saw Shelton and Hi's bikes out front, which meant that they were all probably waiting for me. Grinning to myself, I walked inside.

** So Tory catches Ben kissing Ellie. Tory has a sob-fest over it, and then goes to Ellie's sleepover. Now all of you people who don't know me are thinking: It's a sleepover. Nothing life-threatening can happen there. **

** Oh, if you think that, then you are about to get the biggest shock of your life. **

** Comment!  
-Lilith**


	6. Chapter 6

** So Ben's POV of the kiss, since of course everybody wants to know what he thought. Sorry if it's short. **

** -Lilith**

Damn I really screwed up.

Those words were circling around in my head like vultures as I gunned _Sewee_ across the Harbor, biting my lower lip, which was still tingling from kissing Ellie.

I don't know how I ended up with my arms around her, kissing her like she was Tory. But she wasn't. Nothing could compare to Tory.

When I couldn't see anything in all directions, I parked _Sewee_ and sat down on the floor of the boat, rocking with it.

Ellie was one of those cutesy girls. One of those girls who would flash peace signs and wear striped stockings and hoodies and laugh at everything. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

But at the same time Ellie was different. She was shy as a butterfly and seemed to not like wearing bikinis and flirting with boys. She didn't express who she really was underneath all that shyness. Sure, she had the whole 'American sweetheart' look down, but she was totally different.

Tory on the other hand, was everything I needed. Confident, badass, courageous, smart, and pretty damn hot. She didn't seem to know she was all of those things, or at least didn't use her beauty like a whip. She seemed to be like Ellie's polar opposite.

And yet I kissed the both of them.

Not helping.

I had left some rope out, as usual, (even though sometimes I wasn't complaining, since that's how I would trick Tory into kissing me) and when she took a header over it I grabbed her under her arms and steadied her. Next thing I knew I was staring into her wide ice-blue eyes, and remembered Tory's green eyes. Those eyes that had seemed to get bigger and bigger as I leaned down to kiss her, sweeping her off of her feet in a single motion….

Not my fault guys have fantasies about girls.

But then I saw Tory standing there, hurling those ice-cold words at me, which hurt like daggers to the heart. They didn't register to my head though. All I could think was _Tory hates me now. Tory hates me now…_

And something told me that girls didn't really like dating guys who they don't like.

I remembered all those times Tory and I would sneak out on _Sewee_ to steal moonlight kisses, when her dad was sleeping of course. All those times I stared at her even though there were girls staring at me, mesmerized with every detail about her. The way her hair curled out at the ends, the way her eyes sparkled when she got something right, how she would chew on the inside of her mouth when she was thinking. Holding her hand as we walked along the beach, kissing her hello whenever I saw her. Letting her wear my shirt after she got soaked, brushing her flaming red hair away from her face to tilt her chin up and kiss her…

Now I had screwed it all up. All my hopes of being with her were vanishing like footprints in the sand.

Suddenly I didn't care anymore. I could go face the both of them, listen to their screams and anger, and not give a flip. Hell, I could get arrested and not give a flip.

Not now that Tory was gone.

**Bit on the depressing side wasn't it? What did you expect? That he would be happy he lost a girl like Tory who he's been following like a puppy ever since she showed up? Uh, definitely not. Well, at least not in this fanfic. **

** Anyway, to all you fans who are like wth? Why did she delete the story? **

** My answer: I realized that the well had run dry. And that I needed to add some stuff to my story, since it was more of a slap-job than anything good. So I'm adding more chapters. **

** Don't hate me. I'm not deleting any of my other chapters; just adding onto it. **

** -Lilith**


	7. Chapter 7

** Thank you all you people who have been with me this entire time, reading my fanfiction. You are truly amazing. **

** Now, back to the story!  
-Lilith**

I was in Ellie's room. The guys were watching _Jackass 2_ in the other room, and it was about ten at night. Sitting crossed-legged on her bed, I was putting up my walls, knowing what was going to happen. 

"Tory, I know you really like Ben. And I respect that. And I know that you probably won't believe me, but I swear that I didn't kiss him. I was sitting in his boat one minute, and then I got up to get off. But I tripped on some rope, and next thing I know I was crashing into Ben, and he was kissing me. After you ran away, I asked him what the hell was his problem before trying to follow you, but I couldn't see you, so I turned around and went to school."

I stared at the comforter, not really knowing whether or not to believe her, so I started questioning it. The part of her tripping on rope was believable, since I did that all the time and Ben always had rope on_ Sewee_. And she probably did chase after me since she seemed like somebody who would do that, and she probably couldn't find me since I had flared while running.

Suddenly I remembered something my mom had told me. _If he really is the one, he wouldn't ever do something to hurt you. _

Bit too late, Ben.

"Okay. I believe you." I say dully, the pain of losing Ben like that still fresh in my mind. But I had to be strong, had to not let Shelton or Hi see what was hurting. After all, I was the Alpha.

"Want to crank call Ben?" She asked, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe later. I need some time." I say, and she smiled reassuringly at me before leaving to go see what the boys were doing.

Curling up on her bed, I stared distantly at the wall, remembering when Ben had kissed me on the pier and on his boat, when he had taken me out for ice cream after school, when he had teased me at school…

Had it all been just a fake? I'll never know. But either way, he shouldn't have been kissing my friend.

Or maybe it was Ellie that was lying? Could she have kissed Ben?  
Suddenly something on the nightstand caught my eye. A small notebook. Leaning forward to look at the cover, I saw the words _Ellie's Diary_ written in beautiful handwriting on the front.

Looking at the door, I wondered if Ellie would come back. It was a chance I could risk, but I would have to read fast.

Before I could change my mind, I pulled it off the night stand and flipped it open to the first entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_ Today I moved back in with Sam. His house is nice and he is nice, but something tells me that he hasn't fully recovered yet. I can see it in his eyes sometimes, and I know that he hasn't totally changed yet. But the law says I have to stay with him until I am eighteen, so another four years. _

_ Mom. _

_ The pain is still fresh in my mind. It was still there when she got remarried to Daniel, but eventually I learned to get over it. But then he divorced her for her best friend, Lauren, and those two are happily married. I could tell Mom was trying to stay strong for Toby and I's sake, but losing Sam and Daniel probably put her in a lot of pain. It got even worse when Toby drowned. I don't blame her for taking all those pills, or telling me that she was ready to go. I didn't know what she meant at first, but I know that she's waiting for me now. Waiting for me to join her. _

_ I still miss her. _

_ -Ellie _

Remembering what Ellie had told me about her mom committing suicide made me wince. Poor Ellie.

_Dear Diary, _

_ I went to Bolton Prep today. I thought I wouldn't make friends since I was so shy, but then I met Tory. She was so nice, and her friends and her boyfriend were nice too. I didn't know how to react to them at first, but then I kind of went with it and had a lot of fun. And Shelton was kind of cute, but I'm not ever telling anybody I thought that. _

_ I even invited them to hang out. It was fun, but then I had to go to soccer tryouts. As I was walking to my room, I looked at Sam's laptop and saw a blog entry. After reading it, I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach. Sam really wasn't any better. _

_ He was accusing my friends of being human-wolf hybrids of some sort. Not cool Sam. _

_ It made me wonder how he got out of that mental institute. He told me that he was healthy enough to be let go, but I can't help but wonder if he was lying. It looked like he was after reading that. _

_ I didn't go to soccer tryouts after that. Oh well. _

_ -Ellie_

Oh God. Sam is Vigilum. He posted that article. Oh God.

But where did he get that idea? How did he find out about the Virals?

_Dear Diary, _

_ Today I talked to Madison. Asked her how why she was so afraid of me. After pestering her long enough, I finally got an answer. _

_ Chance, Madison, Jason, and Sam had all been at the same mental institute. Madison and Chance had told Sam about my friends, and Sam told them about me. They became good friends, and they promised to get each other out. Sam would cover and get Madison, Chance, and Jason out and even tell people about my friends as long as they came back and got him out and stayed away from me. _

_ I threw up in the bathroom after hearing that. _

_ -Ellie_

So that's where Jason, Chance, and Madison went.

There was one entry left.

_Dear Diary,_

_ Ben, Tory's boyfriend, kissed me today._

_ Oh God, he kissed me. _

_ It was the worst thing I've ever been through. I mean, Tory really likes Ben and all, but when he kissed me it was totally revolting. I tripped and landed on him, and next thing I know he was shoving his tongue down my throat. I wanted to back away from him, but he had his arms around me so it was nearly impossible. _

_ My heart stopped when I saw Tory. _

_ Not Tory. Out of all people, my best friend had to see it. I didn't want to lose her so easily. After all, she was my first true friend. _

_ After Tory ran off, I shoved Ben away from me and tried to follow her, but I couldn't see her anymore. And I didn't know where she lived, and I sure as hell wasn't going to go ask Ben. So I just went to school, telling myself I would text Tory later. _

_ Shelton seemed to sense my distress. He was so sweet and gave me a cookie and even helped me with my homework. Exactly like something Ben would do to Tory. _

_ I didn't see Ben the entire day, which really kind of got on my nerves. What kind of jackass kisses his girlfriend's friend, and then doesn't even let her yell at him for it?_

_ Anyway, I've been trying to keep Sam away from my friends. I am worried that he might kidnap my friends and run tests on them, like lab rats. And they definitely wouldn't trust me after that. _

_ Sam is crazy. Tory is heartbroken. _

_ I miss Mom. _

_ -Ellie_

Oh Jesus. Ellie didn't kiss Ben. She likes Shelton. Sam was crazy, and Madison, Chance, and Jason weren't to blame for once.

Suddenly the door behind me opened, and I whirled around to see Ellie standing there.

"Hey, Tory. The guys and I are playing Truth or Dare…"

She trailed off when she saw her diary in my lap.

** Wolfgirlrocks1 actually figured it out. I'm getting lazy I guess. **

** But something will happen that I bet none of you are expecting. **

** So, let's see what happens.**

** Who thought that Ellie was the bad guy? **

** Thanks oceansoul85 and SpiritFeather19524 for commenting again. **

** Comment!**

** -Lilith**


	8. Chapter 8

** So Sam is Vigilum, Ellie didn't kiss Ben, and Tory read Ellie's Diary. **

** What happens next?  
-Lilith**

Ellie saw her diary laying on my lap, then stepped inside the room and closed the door. She shut her eyes and took several breaths before opening her eyes.

I waited for her to get mad at me. Waited for her to kick me out.

I was surprised when she smiled.

"You have no idea how much weight you've taken off my shoulders." She said, smiling at me gratefully.

What?

"I've been trying to figure out how to explain everything to you ever since you arrived. I figured you would be pretty clueless."

"So, you're not mad?" I ask, my mind slowly working.

"Of course not. I'm glad you know everything. Which means you should know that we have to hide, now." She said, and before I could ask her why she grabbed my hand and was pulling my out her bedroom and into the guest bedroom.

Shelton and Hi looked up when they saw us.

"There you are Tor! We're about to start playing-

"No time. Come on!" Ellie grabbed Shelton's hand and pulled him into the center of the room, Hi scrambling to get up behind him. I watched as Ellie climbed up on the couch and grabbed a small piece of rope I didn't see earlier, tugging it down. There was a creaking noise as a door was slowly pulled down, and she shoved the couch back before pulling a ladder out. It was the entrance to the attic.

"What are you waiting for?" Ellie asked, gesturing to it.

"Uh, an explanation?" Hi said.

"Sam's here isn't he?" I ask, and she nods.

"And he's planning on capturing you tonight." She finished, and Hi and Shelton gave us looks of confusion.

"What are you two talking about?" Shelton asked.

"Ok short version: Sam is crazy and is Vigilum. He plans to capture us and study us before revealing us to the world. Got it? Good. Now go!"

Before any of us could move, a voice came from the doorway.

"Well, I see that you are smarter than I thought."

I knew who it was, but I turned around anyway to find Sam standing there.

Holding a gun.

We all froze, eyes trained on the weapon in his hands. We all stayed still, not saying anything, our hearts pounding.

Finally Ellie said something.

"Sam, don't do this." She said, pushing me behind her.

In a flash understood her actions. Even though Sam was crazy, he wouldn't kill his daughter, somebody he loved. Ellie knew this too, and was trying to protect me.

He raised the gun, but Ellie stood there firmly. She raised her chin in a challenge, and I realized that even though we were only her friends, she wasn't afraid to die for us.

Sam's finger moved to the trigger, and I swallowed. Time seemed to slow down.

There was a loud crack, and as Ellie tumbled forward, time sped up again.

"Come on!" I yell to the Shelton and Hi, dimly aware that somebody just took a bullet for us.

We race up the ladder, aware of Sam stepping over his daughter's body to get a good aim at us. But before he could shoot, I tugged the ladder back up and shut the attic door behind Hi.

I heard loud cracking noises, and I knew that he was trying to shoot at us through the door but couldn't. My heart was pounding fast and I could feel tears for my friend rushing down my face, but my mind was yelling at me to do something.

Then I remembered something I would tell myself.

_Immediate fear isn't a curse: it's a blessing. It wakes you up. _

**Snap. **

The flare tore through my body, and I dug my nails deep into the wood bean I was sitting on. I could smell the insulation, the dust, fear from Hi and Shelton, and smoke from Sam's gun.

_Virals, flare now!_

Hi and Shelton clutched their heads, and a second later their eyes were bright gold. Somebody's thoughts appeared in my head.

_Tory, what's wrong?_

Ben.

I didn't care about the fact he had been kissing Ellie. I didn't care about the fact that I had spent most of the day crying over him.

_At Ellie's house. Need help. Sam shot Ellie-_

**Snup. **

"Damn it!" I swore aloud, and Hi and Shelton blinked, their eyes normal again.

"Tory, is Ben coming?" Hi asked.

I opened my mouth, but before I could respond I heard Sam yell something to us. "You won't come down? Fine. I'll smoke you out."

He wouldn't do that, He wouldn't burn his house down-

There was a crackling noise below, and I heard Sam run away before feeling the wood beneath me grow hot.

We all launched to our feet, running away from the heat. The entire room beneath us was wooden, so it was probably all up in flames. Where I had been sitting suddenly splintered, the beam falling down, flames licking up it, I was glad I moved, but only for a second.

The entire attic was going to burn down.

Pressing myself against the wall that sloped down, I watched as the fire came closer, afraid. Smoke poured into the room, and I coughed, holding my hand over my mouth and my nose.

But it was too much, and I faded into blackness.

**You will be totally disappointed if you missed that chapter. **

** Sorry that was really short and fast-paced. But did anybody see Ellie being shot coming? **

** -Lilith**


	9. Chapter 9

** Ok so the following might scare you. **

** -Lilith**

_I sat up with a jolt. Around me, Hi and Shelton had also collapsed. The fire crackled and was making the room unbearably hot, and I knew dimly that my sweat glands were working overtime. _

_ "What happened?" I say aloud, and suddenly I look down and see myself, laying on the wood, legs curled into my chest, hair splayed out behind me. It was a little strange to see myself like that. _

_ "Hello Tory." A voice said, and I looked up to see Ellie standing there, wearing a white dress. She hadn't been wearing that before. _

_ As I took her in, I saw a dark red splotch over her heart. Blood. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I stared at it with wide eyes. _

_ "It's okay Tory. I do not feel any pain at all." She said, and even though her mouth hadn't moved I could hear her. _

_ "How…where…?" I ask, unable to figure out what was going on. _

_ I felt warm, not from the fire but as if I was being showered with love. It was Ellie, I realized. She was the one making me feel so peaceful and calm. _

_ "You fainted. Right now we are in your subconscious." She replied. _

_ "My subconscious? How am I able to see you?" I ask, and she smiled. _

_ "Since you are in your subconscious, I am able to appear. I am dead, am I not? So I can appear to you only in your subconscious." She answered. _

_ "Oh God. I'm so sorry Ellie-_

_ "It is not your fault. Sam will be judged in heaven for his actions. As for you, you have time left. But you must make a choice."_

_ "What choice?" _

_ "Do you want to stay here?" She asked, and I realized that she didn't just mean in my subconscious. She met alive. If I wanted to stay here, on earth, with my friends. _

_ I couldn't help but be tempted a little. In heaven, I wouldn't feel pain. I could see my mother, I wouldn't ever feel stressed again. _

_ But at the same time, I couldn't help but remember Hiram and Shelton and Ben. Kit and Whitney and Cooper. What would happen to them if I left them to be on their own?_

_ Something moving beneath us made me look down. Ben, with a rag over his nose and mouth, was scooping me up before the fire could get to me. I didn't see Shelton and Hi, so I prayed he had gotten them out as well. _

_ Ben. _

_ "He still loves you. When he kissed me, it was an accident. He tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen. Now here he is, saving your life." Ellie pointed out. _

_ I realized that what she had just said added onto me. If I was a pessimist, I would be focused on the fact  
that Ben had kissed her. But if I was an optimist, I would be focused on the fact that Ben had tried to tell me that it had been an accident and was saving my life. _

_ The optimistic side of me won out. _

_ "I want to stay here." I say firmly, and Ellie smiled and closed her eyes, and she glowed brighter and brighter. _

_ Two wings the color of gold sprung from her back, and a ring of fire appeared over her head. When she opened her eyes, they were serene and calm. _

_ "Thank you Tory. I will not forget you."_

I was in somebody's arms. Beneath me I could feel warmth and the beat of a heart. It was fast.

Opening my eyes, I looked up and saw Ben's face, tears streaming down it. His face was covered in soot, and he was gasping for breath. He had been crying.

"Tory!" He gasped, and then crushed his lips to mine.

_Ben. _

When he pulled back, I stared at him with wonder. My Ben.

"Ben, why are you crying?" I asked, touching his tear-streaked face.

"I thought I lost you Tory. Your heart…it stopped…and I thought you were gone."

He thought I had died.

Had I?

"Ben, where is Ellie?" I asked, and he winced.

"Tory, she's dead. I pulled her out too, and she wasn't moving. Her heart wasn't beating." He admitted, and I froze.

Ellie was dead. She had visited me in my subconscious and I had set her free.

Ellie.

"What about Sam?" I ask, choking my tears back.

"Dead. The neighbors saw him running away and thought he was some random guy who started the blaze, so they shot him."

That put me an ease a little bit. But then I remembered Ellie, and I began to sob.

Ben didn't say anything. He just pulled me closer so I had my head buried into his shoulder, letting my tears soak his shirt.

After a long time, Ben spoke again. "Tory, I know you saw me and Ellie-

"I don't care about that anymore. As long as you're mine, I don't care." I admit, and he held me tightly.

Soon Hi and Shelton woke up, and we all had a good sob fest right there, the smoldering remains of Sam's house behind us. Distantly, I was aware of Ellie's cold body a few feet away.

When we were done, I glanced at the clock. Two forty-three in the morning.

I remembered that I had gotten a text from Kit earlier. He had told me that he was okay with me going, but to call him before midnight just in case.

"Damn it!"

"What?" Shelton asked.

"No time for questions. We have to go now!" I say, and before they could ask why I had took off, running towards the house.

I was officially screwed

"TORY BRENNAN GET IN THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT!" A furious yell quickened our paces.

Distantly I could hear water crashing against the pier, where Ben's boat rocked gently in the waves. Shelton was a bit ahead of me, black hoodie flapping in the wind as we lightly jogged over the sand dunes. Hi was behind us, panting like a dog, while Ben was at my side, making sure to keep pace with me.

My hair was in a hopeless tangle and repeatedly hitting my back as I ran, the wind nipping at my legs. When I slowed down a bit, Ben walked beside me, lacing his fingers through mine.

"You okay Tor?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. Just wondering how the hell I can explain this one." I admit, and he nodded silently.

Another wild night. Isn't that what always happens? We get in trouble, and next thing we know we're lying and stealing our way out of it. The guys blame me, but what can I say?

"Yeah, we really overdid it." He said, the soft light from the lantern on the porch making his face glow gold.

Kit probably had called the police since I hadn't checked up on him and he freaked out. I felt bad about that. Ever since I had been chained to a bench at the Falling Stars dance, he had been really on an edge.

"NOW TORY!" His voice yowled from the living room, and I winced. We were on the porch now, Shelton waiting for us to catch up. Shelton shot me a look.

"Tor, we can take the heat you know." He said.

Even though the act was probably an empty gesture, I needed all the help I could get. "Thanks Shelton. I'll need it. Hurry up Hi!" I call at him, and a moment later he appeared, slightly sweaty.

Taking a moment to think while Hi caught his breath, I worded my story in my head. When I was done, I squeezed Ben's hand and let a breath out through my mouth.

Before I could change my mind, I turned the knob on the door and stepped in through the house.

**See what I did there? That is called creative. **

** Anyway, I think I might put up another chapter to this before starting on the next half of Hunted. Remember how I said I might combine two stories? I'm doing that. **

** Comment!**

** -Lilith**


	10. Chapter 10

** Thank you Wolfgirlrocks1 for commenting. **

** Comment! Spread the love! I (Or don't spread the flames but still comment!)**

** -Lilith**

***In the future a year later…**

I never knew Wednesdays could be so sad.

It was exactly a year ago I had lost Ellie. A year ago I had lost and found my boyfriend at the same time. A year ago I had almost died.

I shuddered at that, remembering how terrifying it had been to be in the flaming attic.

I was wearing a dress. It was the only day I would wear a dress without somebody making me do so. It was black, which I thought was appropriate.

Stepping through the graves, I looked for Ellie's. Clutching the bouquet of flowers in my hands, I tried not to accidentally step on anybody's grave. I've read and seen too many horror stuff about stuff like that happened.

It was a cloudy day, which I also thought was appropriate. My hair had been tied back with a black ribbon and I wasn't wearing any makeup. My dress brushed the tops of my knees as I walked, the lace flower pattern along my hem rising and falling with every step. It was just me as I walked, my eyes trained on the ground, not knowing where her grave was.

I stopped and looked up when I saw a statue in my way. It was of an angel, sitting crossed-legged on the pedestal, eyes covered by a blindfold. The plaque on the pedestal read _R.I.P. Ellie Feather, who blazed like a flame until the end. _Along with the date she died.

"Hello Ellie. I missed you." I admit, touching the angel's stone wings and remembering the golden wings that had sprung from Ellie's back.

Kneeling, I sat back on my ankles, planting the bouquet of forget-me-nots in the little plastic vase. Then I folded my hands together and let out a sigh.

"Sorry that I'm not good at this Ellie. Not good at praying that is. But I hope that wherever you are, you know I'm thinking of you. You were my best friend, and no girl could ask for a better person than you."

Tears were pooling in my eyes, but I didn't blink them away. Instead I let them come, streaking down my cheeks freely. I didn't swipe them away when they dripped off my chin and jaw line.

_"It's okay Tory."_

I gasped and looked up. On the pedestal, a girl wearing a white gown sat there, her feet dangling over the edge. Her wings were tucked into her back but her halo still blazed like a fire. The red splotch that had been on her dress was gone.

"Ellie." I breathed, then looked around, expecting to see dead people talking or drinking coffee by their graves.

_"Only you can see me." _She said, then got off the pedestal and walked up to me, pulling me off knees and to my feet. Her touch was warm and soft.

"Why…why are you here?" I asked.

_"To see you of course." _ She said, picking a forget-me-not and tucking it into her hair.

"Really?"

_"Yes. And I wanted to tell you something."  
_"Always a catch isn't there?"

_"I wanted to tell you to be careful." _

"Seriously? That's it? That's what you wanted to tell me?" I say, not believing her.

_"Yes. I know you are prone to get in trouble, and no matter how many times you get caught you get wrapped up in it again. But you know that every act comes with a consequence, and eventually if you're not careful enough we will meet in heaven."_

I swallowed, realizing how serious the conversation was. Guess angels didn't have a sense of humor.

"Okay." I say, running my fingers over my hair to calm my nerves.

_"Good. Now I must go." _

"So soon? You just got here!" I say.

_"I can't stay unless this is important." _

"It is! I need to ask you…did I really die that night?" I say.

She was silent for a moment before replying.

_"You had a near death experience, yes. But you didn't die completely since you wanted to stay here and Ben saved you from dying." _

I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat I didn't know was there. _I almost died. _

"Tory!"  
I whirled around to find Ben, wearing khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. He was stepping through the graves trying to get to me. "Kit told me you would be here. Are you okay?" He asked, looking at Ellie's grave.

"I'm fine." I say, tugging at the hem of my dress like I wanted it to get longer. I never ever let my boyfriend see me in a dress if it wasn't for cotillion.

"Good." He said, lightly planting a kiss on my forehead. "Now Kit said something about not telling him where you were going…?" He trailed off, and I groaned.

"Crap." I say, and he wraps an arm around my waist and begins to lead me out of the cemetery.

As we walked, I looked back at the grave. But Ellie was gone.

** Love it? Hate it? Average? **

** Of course, comment! It proves to me you care and actually want me to write more!  
-Lilith**


	11. Chapter 11

** Ok so this is Ellie's POV of when she got into heaven. As in, right after she died. **

** Oh, and for the whole dead-but-came-back experience in Tory's POV in the burning attic, I have never experienced that. My teacher's friend did, and she told us what it was like. **

** Comment!**

_Ellie sat up, looking around. Where was Tory, Hi, and Shelton? _

_ Sam stood over her, firing his gun at the ceiling. Mumbling swear words under his breath as none of them went through. I realized that they were safe in a flash. _

_ Suddenly she was looking down at her own body. Her black tank-top was covered in blood, which poured from a hole in her chest. Camouflage pants wrinkled. Hair spread out to the side, fanning out over the carpet. Her eyes were open and still, glazed over. _

_ It was a bit sickening to see herself like that, but she got over it. How was this possible? _

_ Everything got warmer, like she was in the palms of Jesus. The scene before her changed, and she saw herself huddled in her room, tears streaming down her face. The yells from outside the door reminded her of how much her parents fought and argued over everything. _

_ Suddenly she was standing in her childhood room, but it was darker. Little Ellie was climbing out the window, sneaking out. I watched her from the window as she ran across the street, to my friend Michael's house, not giving the house a single look. _

_ Then she saw herself standing beside her parents, who were covered in bruises and cuts. Blue and red flashing lights danced across the walls where they had shone through the windows. She remembered the lie she had told them about where she had been, not wanting them to know she had really been out at her friend's house watching Toy Story. Instead she told them she had been at the neighbors. _

_ That sin felt like a knife to the heart. She winced and instantly regretted lying to her parents. _

_ But then the scene changed. _

_ She saw Toby and younger Ellie watching some kid's show in the living room. Stepping in between a fight at school, willing to take the blame and hurt. Kissing her friend Michael on the cheek as he packed for a summer camp. _

_ "Ellie Kaya Feather. Despite your sins, you have been deemed worthy of becoming an angel. But the choice is still yours to make: stay or go?" A warm voice said, and even though she looked around she didn't see a speaker. _

_ She remembered Tory and Hi and Shelton: what would happen to them?_

_ "You can protect them. Be their guardian angel." The voice said, even though she hadn't spoken. Mind-reading I guess. _

_ But other than them, who else was there for her? Sam was abusive, and all the people she kept close to her heart were waiting for her behind the pearly gates. _

_ "Go." She said, and in a flash she felt a warm tingly sensation travel down her back, like somebody was drumming their fingers lightly across her skin. Looking over her shoulder, she saw two blazing gold wings. Looking down, she realized that she was wearing a white gown and seemed to radiate light. _

_ "Here I come Tory." She said aloud. _

_ After saving Tory's life, she returned to heaven to find people waiting for her. _

_ "Ellie!" A voice cried, and she saw her beautiful mother running towards her, dressed in a white gown too. They embraced, and Ellie shut her eyes, not wanting to let go of her mother for eternity if she could. _

_ Eventually she pulled away though, and carefully examined her. She still looked human, but less bruised and bloody. Her mother had been the reason Sam had gone to a mental institute after he had killed her out of anger. But now she looked perfectly fine. _

_ "Mom." She breathed, touching her mother's face, identical to her own. Behind her, she saw a young toddler with brown curly hair and ice-blue eyes like her own. He looked up at her and grinned, then shrieked something intelligible and ran up to her, hugging her around her legs. _

_ "Hello Toby." She said cheerfully, scooping up the child in her arms as he touched her mouth, then pointed at something in the distance. "A buh-buh!" He said, which probably meant something in baby-speak. _

_ "Yeah, a buh-buh." Her mother said, not taking her eyes off of her children. _

_ "Well, I see she has finally joined us." A familiar voice said behind her. Her heart skipped a beat. _

_ Turning slowly on her heel, she saw a boy about her age, probably older, with dark brown hair and deep dark brown eyes. They sparkled at her as he smiled, and she saw that he had wings and a halo as well. _

_ "Can you hold Toby for a moment?" She asked her mother, who took Toby, letting Ellie rush up to Michael and throw her arms around his neck. _

_Michael hadn't only been her first friend, he had been her first crush and boyfriend. Like her, he was abused as well, but this time by his older brother, who he lived with, since their parents were dead. His brother often drank and did drugs, to the point where he would hit Michael. One night, he hit him so bad he died, bleeding to death. I went to his funeral a month later. His brother didn't. _

_ He hugged me back, holding me snugly against his chest. He was so comforting and reassuring, it made me wish I could hold him like this forever. _

_ She let him go after a while, running her fingers through his hair He smiled and leaned down, lightly kissing her on the mouth. She felt the fireworks she had felt when they kissed back on earth, but these were bigger. These made her tingle from her fingertips to her toes, made her close her eyes and drown in darkness. _

_ As they broke apart, she realized she couldn't remember a time when she had felt happier. She had her mother, and her brother, and her boyfriend. And she could protect her friends as well. _

_ She had one thing to do though. One thing she still had to make sure happen on earth. _

_ But as she kissed Michael again, she told herself she would worry about it later. _

** Incredibly sweet huh? So one more chapter. Don't know about anything past that. But hey: Comment!**

** -Lilith**


	12. Chapter 12

**Is it over? Uh, hell no. Not even close. If you ask me, that was just the beginning. **

** Anyway, I just suddenly got this idea, so enjoy!**

** -Lilith**

** *Halloween**

Halloween night. The one night where I can raid my neighbors without feeling guilty.

"Ah damn. My bag ripped." Hi said, trying to stop the flow of sweets from pouring out of his plastic bag. I pulled out some spare ones from my pocket and gave one to him, knowing that would happen.

"I still think Tory would look pretty hot as Little Red Riding Hood." Ben said, looking at my Military Girl costume. It was the only costume I could find that I wouldn't have to wear a dress.

"Only because it had fishnet tights, high boots, a tiny skirt, and a bra. That's it." I replied, nudging him. Unlike the rest of us, he wasn't wearing a costume, insisting that trick-or-treating was 'below him.'

Shelton was a zombie. Hi was a Lay's bag (don't ask), and I was a Military Girl, with Ben just in his usual khaki shorts and t-shirt. We looked like the strangest group to go trick-or-treating, but oh well.

"Are we allowed to raid our own house?" I ask as we pass my house. We had all started at Ben's place and went from there, so I haven't hit up my house yet.

"I don't know. Let's do it anyway." Hi said, and we ran across the green yard, past the obviously fake spiders and spider webs, up to the bowl on the steps. Each grabbing a handful, we scooped it up and dumped it in our bags, diminishing the candy by half.

"You got the good stuff." Hi said, examining the Double Bubblegum in his palm before tossing it into his Wal-Mart bag. Ben stood in the shadows, near the street, watching us with an amused grin.

Walking over to him, I held a Laffy Taffy up and peeled off the plastic paper around it. Revealing the grape-flavored candy, I dangled it in front of his face before putting on end in my mouth. Smiling up at him, he rolled his eyes, leaned down, and pressed his lips to mine, biting off the other half of the candy. Pulling back, he chewed thoughtfully.

"Any regrets." I ask.

"Just one." He replied, wrapping his hands around my wrists.

"What is it?"

"That I haven't kissed you yet." He murmured, and then tenderly kissed me, letting his hands tangle in my hair. I slanted my head, trying to get closer.

"PDA! IT BURNS! MY EYES! THEY'RE BURNING!" Hi shrieked, looking away while pressing his hands to his eyes. Shelton was looking pointedly at a tree in the yard.

"Shut up." I laugh, thumping him upside the head.

A loud growl made us all turn. In the darkness along the side on my house, there were two small things gleaming. Eyes. Coop, who we had brought along, was cowering behind my legs.

Whatever the hell this thing was, it was big.

A black leg appeared into the dim light from the streetlamp. A black furry leg that had matted fur. A chest appeared after that, then another leg, and finally a head. Two dark red eyes that seemed to look like hellfire.

A black wolf with red eyes that I've never seen before just suddenly appeared around the side of my house, growling.

My reaction: back the hell away.

"Holy shit." Shelton whispered, keeping his eyes locked on the black-furred beast, even as he stumbled. Ben instinctively got in front of me, shielding me from it, and I had to stand up on my tiptoes to peer over his shoulder.

The wolf stepped closer, still growling. There was an unnatural aura around it. It for some reason didn't seem like most wolves that I've seen. There was something about it…something eerie and evil….

"Get the hell away from them you bitch!" A familiar voice yowled, and I turned to see a familiar figure running down the street, a very realistic-looking sword dangling from its belt. It leaped in front of us, facing the beast, drawing the sword. The light from the streetlamp and the front porch made its hair turn a weak orangey color, gleaming in the dim light as her sword flashed.

The wolf growled even louder, opening its jaws to snarl. The red eyes were the color of red fire, blazing and bright. Drool dripped off of the animal's mouth, pooling on the grass. As I watched it, it seemed to steam on the grass, making a weird smell.

My hands snaked around Ben's chest, pulling him against me, pulling him down a bit so I could stare over his shoulder. Only he knew that I was really pulling him closer out of fear.

I watched as the wolf's opponent brought it's sword down, arching in the night air. It sliced through the wolf's neck with a clean stroke, but instead of collapsing, it exploded into a strange black dust, which lightly spread out on the spot where it had been.

"You have a hell to explain." I say around Ben's shoulder, folding my arms as Ellie pushed her hair out of her face, sliding her sword back into her belt.

**So? What do you think? Ellie the Angel is back!**

** Comment please!**

** -Lilith**


	13. Chapter 13

** Ellie is back! Yay! **

** So what the heck is she doing on Halloween?**

** See that? That is what I call adding suspense. **

** -Lilith**

** ****  
**"You have a hell to explain." I say around Ben's shoulder, folding my arms as Ellie pushed her hair out of her face, sliding her sword back into her belt.

"Yeah I know I do." She said with a sigh, as if she had been dreading this moment.

That immediately put me on alert. Whenever somebody did something like that, it meant that whatever this was about it was bad. Something she hated and didn't want to tell us.

And I do not like secrets.

"Spill." I command, and Shelton shot me a sideways look. _Don't pressure her. _

That's right. Shelton liked Ellie and vice versa. Of course, when she died, I told him to get over her and fix his eyes on some other girl, in a nicer way of course. Even though he assured me that he liked some other blond chick, it was obvious that deep in his heart he was grieving for Ellie.

And now here she was, in the same black tank top and military-print loose pants she had worn the night she died. That sent a wave of pain through my heart as I remembered in a flash the events of that hellish night before fading away, the pain taking longer to ebb. And here Shelton was, realizing that the girl he liked still had a chance to be with him.

No wonder he was sticking up for her.

Sighing in my mind, I shot a look at Hi and Ben. _Let her tell us on her own time._ They gave back discreet nods and we all started down the road, Ellie's gold hair lighting the way.

I couldn't help but notice that she was wingless. And haloless. Ben seemed to notice this too and shot me a worried look. Had Ellie done something to get her kicked out of heaven? Or was this just some cover-up?

_Please let it be a cover up. Please let it be a cover up…_ Ellie was too good to be thrown out of heaven, especially after being reunited with her mother and step-brother.

_And Michael. _A voice seemed to whisper in her mind, and she jumped before staring at Ellie. It was her voice, but she hadn't said anything or looked at her. Ben shot her a concerned look, but he was the only one who noticed, since Shelton was drooling and Hi was on Planet Zone-Out while eating a Smarties.

I shook my head at him, signaling that it was nothing. Just going insane I guess. But just out of impulse, I tried to think something back to her.

_Who is Michael?_

Ellie tensed, but only for a millisecond, before shrugging it away. If that didn't mean she got her little mind message, I didn't know what did.

_Dead boyfriend. Hot dead boyfriend, I might add._ She responded, and suddenly her mind seemed to blow up with an image. It was of a guy with a boyish smile, deep brown eyes, tan skin, and chestnut hair. I had to admit, Michael was pretty cute.

But as soon as she looked at Ben, she immediately felt a bolt of guilt. That was kind of like cheating, right? Yes. Thinking that another guy was cute was being unfaithful. Bad Tory!

Besides, Ben was alive, on Earth, with her. Better than being dead and up on the clouds.

_Speaking of dead, why are you here?_ I ask, but didn't get a reply. Ellie had retreated back into her shell.

Ben, seeming to sense something going on, wrapped a hand protectively around my waist. As I leaned into him, I tried to remember being happy when my boyfriend wasn't around. Came up with blank.

Yeah, definitely not cheating.

Ellie suddenly let in a breath, causing us all to stop. Hi was back on Earth again and was watching her, eyes focused on hers. Shelton was too, but every once and a while he would look at her leg or her hand, like he was still trying to realize she was real. Ben and I stopped, but Ben didn't move his hand.

"Guys, I know you're all wondering what the heck just happened…" She said, fiddling with the hem of her tank top. "And to be honest, I didn't know anything about what I am about to tell you until about a week ago. So don't accuse me of keeping secrets." She said, shooting me a pointed glance. I nodded, promising her that I wouldn't jump to conclusions.

"Well, as you know, I am an angel. And if heaven has angels, so does Hell, correct?" She said, and I nodded, trusting her knowledge more than mine. "Those angels are what we call the Fallen, as in angels who were once Heaven's but are now Hell's. Anyway, Lucifer has allowed them to control over their own demons, but the Fallen must remain under his control. Now though, the Fallen have let the demons terrorize the Earth, as they hate humans for their own reasons." She said, and I couldn't help but feel as if I were in one of those really bad movies.

"So, that wolf thing-

"A hellhound, and yes, that was a demon."

I waited for a moment, drawing conclusions. Ellie was obviously on a mission here to stop the demons, but why her? Why not some other angel?  
"Only the strongest were selected." Ellie said, reading my thoughts. "And I sadly had to be one of the strongest."

The boys were looking in between us, not really understanding. I ignored them and kept connecting things together. Ellie was here to stop demons and she was one of the strongest, but that still didn't explain why she was talking to us. Why hadn't she just gotten the job done before vanishing or something, before any of us could recognize her?

"Um...about that…" She said, fiddling with the button on the front of her tank top. "I didn't just come here to fight the demons."

Well, duh.

"The truth is, Heaven's side is outnumbered. The demons are everywhere, and we need strong, trustable people." She said, and suddenly I realized she was talking about us.

I opened my mouth to answer but she beat me to it. "Before you make up your mind, I want to tell you that it's not just you: the entire world is in peril. Even though you aren't much, you can really help. So, what do you say?"

** So, that was interesting, don't you think?**

** What will they say? **

** Thanks V6 Trick-Shot and viralsisamazing for commenting again! If you are wondering why some of your comments aren't up, read Chapter 6. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay I know I haven't updated much lately, but I finally got around to it. **

** So big question: will Tory help Ellie or does she think that Ellie can manage on her own?**

** -Lilith**

What do I say? Seriously? I'm not just going to come up with an answer like that.

Running my hands over my hair to smooth it down, I let air out through my mouth.

Okay Tory, prioritize.

On one hand I could turn down Ellie. There probably was a lot more other people who are stronger than me, so why is she asking me for help? Besides, I'm not the type to praise God for everything and stuff. This just didn't make any sense.

"Please Tory. You and your friend's are the only people who have your ability. We can really use your help. Besides, it's just one demon we need help on and we'll be doing most of the fighting anyway." She coaxed, and I glanced at Ben. He was watching me with concern, trying to read my thoughts.

But on the other hand, I could possibly get Shelton over Ellie, save myself from the shame of not doing what's right, and not have to deal with the boys shooting me dirty looks for not helping a friend.

That sounds pretty good to me.

But I could lose my life, or Ben could lose his. Or we could all die trying to defeat something that has been haunting people for ages.

Wait, what am I thinking? Being on the borderline between life and death is considered normal to me. The boys hate it though.

I looked at Ellie. I couldn't let heaven down couldn't I?

"What do we have to do?" I ask, and she grinned.

"There's a big demon downtown. We already got a couple of Archangels down there watching the thing, and all we need is you guys." She said, then grabbed a stick off the street. Walking over to a yard, she began to trace something in the dirt. A big X and a couple of O's, and it took me a moment to realize that the X was the demon and the O's were us.

"You guys will stay in the back, where the demon can't get to you, since he'll be too busy fighting us. What we need you to do is collect a bunch of holy relics to toss to the angels if they come near. Basically, we need you to give us weapon support." She said, and we examined the diagram.

"What if the demon sees us?" I asked, and she shrugged, like she hadn't thought of that.

"Then we'll either prevent him from getting to you or provide you an easy way to heaven." She said, and suddenly it hit me.

I could very well die from this.

Suddenly I wanted to run up to Kit and tell him I love him, tell Whitney that even though she was a devil, she was a good person. Wanted to live a long happy life with Ben, watch our kids grow up without feeling the burdens we felt when we were their age, see our kids have kids of their own and love it whenever they come over. Be the grandmother and mother I don't have now.

Die beside Ben, see Hi's and Shelton's kids having a playdate with Ben and I's kids, run along the beach on Morris, play with Coop…all the things I won't be able to do anymore.

The other side of me, the side that was as tough as nails, told myself to stop it. That we're all going to get out of this alive, and I will be able to have all these things, and that I won't die.

Still, though.

Ben wrapped an arm around me, sensing what I was thinking. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder, not wanting to ever be away from him. If I was going to die, he would be at my side.

Forever.

_It'll be okay Tory. _ Ellie said in my mind, and I shot her a grateful look.

"So, when do we fight this thing?" Hi asked.

"In a month or so." She replied, and I shot up.

"In a month! I thought we would have to deal with this thing today!"

"Definitely not today Tory. It's Halloween for crying out loud! But we can do it next month on the 21st, the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, the demon will be weaker." She said, and I realized she was right. Not today.

"Besides, you're going to need some time to collect crosses and stuff." She said, and I had to agree with her.

And I needed time to say goodbye.

"Where should we meet you and when?" I ask, and she thought for a minute.

"Three in the morning, in front of the cathedral." She said, and I stared at her.

"Three in the morning?" I ask incredulously.

"Yes. Three is a holy number you know." She said.

"So the demon will be even weaker?" Hi asked, and she nodded.

"Yes." She said, looked at me.

"Good luck Tory." And with that, she vanished in a puff of golden powder and a few feathers.

As I watched the feathers drift to the ground, I stooped down and picked one up. It was warm in my hand and seemed to radiate light. As I picked it up with my other hand, I couldn't help but notice that there was golden sparkles on my hand where the feather had been.

I didn't know what told me to do this, but I pressed the feather against my neck, where skin was visible. It seemed to sear on my skin, but before I could pull it away, it was gone.

"Woah." Shelton gasped, staring at my neck. I looked around and caught my reflection in the pool of street water. Where the feather had been was now a tattoo of a detailed feather in black.

In a flash I understood what it meant.

_Don't forget Tory. _

******  
So the Virals have a date with a demon. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**


	15. Chapter 15

** So yeah, instead of holding it off until the weekend, I decided to update before that. **

** Yeah, I know I'm awesome. **

** Okay, so before you read this, I'm going to tell you that there has been a time warp. It is now November 20****th****, the day before they are supposed to fight the demon. **

** Review, since that makes me happy!**

** ****  
**Tonight was the night.

The entire day, I had been jumpy and nervous all throughout the day. Over dinner, Kit and Whitney, who had obviously noticed this, asked me about it.

"Is it that Ben boy? Did he get you pregnant?" Whitney asked.

I stared at her, horrified, then shook my head. Definitely not Ben problems.

Kit, who had been on the edge of his seat, sat back before nodding to himself reassuringly. "School?" He asked, but I shook my head.

I knew that none of their logical explanations were nothing compared to mine. I had a feeling that 'I'm nervous because I have to kill a demon in nine hours' wasn't on their list.

Ben and I hadn't even gone to school today. Instead I had faked and told Kit and Whitney that I wasn't feeling well so that I could stay home. Kit left for work, and I was left with Whitney. I was just about to sneak out to see Ben so we can spend the last day of our lives together when she caught me.

"Going to see your boyfriend aren't you?" She asked, and I froze.

I turned to her, afraid of what she would say. Like any concerned mother, she would probably ban me from seeing Ben for life since I lied, and was in the act of sneaking out to hang out with a boy who was older than me without adult supervision.

Instead she smiled, like she understood. "I'll cover for you. Just come back before your father comes home and pretend like you've been sick the entire day."

I just stood there, dumbstruck, until something hit my window. Looking down, I saw Ben standing there, and I quickly ran downstairs to greet him.

"Morning Ben." I say, wrapping my arms around his neck as he scooped me up and kissed my lips.

I was about to spend the last day of my life with my boyfriend, whom I would die for.

Suddenly I didn't care about the fact we had been dating for only one year now. I didn't care about the fact that we were right in front of my house. I didn't care about anything except the fact that I wanted to spend the most amazing day with Ben.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I felt his hands cup my thighs to support me as I began grinding against him.

He pulled away from the kiss with surprise, eyes wide. "Tory, I hate to ruin the moment, but when you grind against me-

"I don't care Ben. I don't care. All I care about is you." I admit, but the Tory that had talked to Whitney only a minute ago was different from this Tory. This Tory was full of need and lust for Ben, not caring what would happen.

And if I followed through with that, I would end up being the star of another fourteen-and-pregnant video or something like that.

"Tor, as much as I'd hate to stop you, we can't. A.) we're right in front of your house for crying out loud, and B.) I'm sixteen and you're fourteen, and fourteen isn't a good age to get pregnant." He said, and I looked away, a flush covering my face as I realized what would've happened if Ben hadn't told me no. Damn, I was in for years of embarrassment and humiliation from him.

Instead of a smart-ass comment, he touched my face lovingly. "When you and I are older though, we can…." He choked up, but I got the message.

"I think I would like that." I admit softly, curling into him.

"I know for sure I would!" He said, ruining the tender moment and causing me to roll my eyes and pull away.

"Come on you perv. Let's go to the bunker." I said, leading a smirking Ben away from the house.

Curled up now in my bed, I smiled fondly at the memory. Ben and I had spent the entire day at the Bunker, watching _Jackass_ movies and kissing every minute or so. Hi and Shelton had actually gone to school, so we had the place to ourselves. Right around noon, I had fallen asleep on Ben's chest, tired since I had spent the entire night awake.

When we woke up, I realized that any moment Kit could be home, so we ran back to my house. He gave me a lingering kiss that made me stand there for a moment, watching him run to his house, before turning around and hurrying inside.

I had gotten there right on time. A minute after I had slipped under my blankets in my bed, Kit had walked through the door with a bottle of Advil pills and a couple of antacids. I took them from him and promised him I would take him to make him feel better before slipping them into my nightstand drawer, where they would wait until I truly needed them.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that it was fifteen minutes until three. Ben had promised to give us all a ride downtown on his boat, and if I wanted to be there on time I had to go now.

Slipping out of my bed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top (what do you wear to a battle between heaven and hell?), I grabbed my duffel bag full of crosses and holy water that had been hidden from Kit and Whitney in the most secret place ever. Under my bed.

I tested the lock on my window and growled with frustration. Locked. Dimly, I remembered that Shelton had once shown me how to pick locks.

Walking into my bathroom, I reached under the sink and pulled out a small box of bobby pins I had when I was in fourth grade. Pulling out a couple, I slowly preceded to unlock the window.

When I was done, I tried to be quiet as I pulled the window up, allowing the cool night air to escape into my bedroom. Breathing out through my mouth, I grabbed the bag before sliding into the night, closing the window behind me.

** Sorry that was a bit racy, but I wasn't really thinking about it on this chapter. And I don't feel like changing it, so toughen up. **

** Anyway, review! Even if it's your questions that to you seem okay, when to me they hurt! (ex. 'Why did you even decide to put that in this?' My response: Shut up already this is my fanfic and I can do what I want!)**

** Sorry you had to see that. **

** -Lilith**


	16. Chapter 16

**So like this is either the last or second to last chapter. **

** So it would be very nice if you REVIEWED!**

** If you didn't get that hint, I feel sorry for you.**

** -Lilith**

As I walked up to the pier, I saw three figures standing on Sewee, watching me approach. The boys. Cooper had opted to come with me, but I told him to stay inside, not wanting him to be anywhere near the demon when this went down.

After I silently climbed aboard, Ben untied the rope and let us drift for a moment, not wanting to awake our parents. When we had gotten out far enough, he gunned the engine and we were heading towards downtown in minutes.

I didn't know what to say to the others. And judging by their silence, they didn't seem to know either. Ben was tall and vigilant as ever as he motored the boat, and Hi just tapped his foot nervously. Shelton was in ear-tugging hyper drive.

When we parked the boat, we all got off the boat and began trudging through the streets, heading instinctively towards the cathedral. Streetlights dimly lit our way, and everything seemed distant and lonely. Must've been the obvious lack of people.

The steps that led up to the front door seemed bigger than normal, and we all seemed reluctant to go up them. Ben was at my side, holding my hand, occasionally clutching it tightly, like he was afraid of letting me go.

I didn't want him to ever let me go.

I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the others. Would Kit find the note I had left on my dresser in case I didn't come back? Would Whitney make me wear a dress to my own funeral? Would all of us go to heaven if we died?

Or would I be walking into Hell?  
I twisted my face at that. If I was going to Hell, I was taking a couple others with me.

Ben noticed my face and grinned, but even his rare grins contained a bit of sadness. "That's my girl."

As we reached the doors, I gave them a tug to test them. Nothing. Didn't even budge.

"Damn. Shelton, you brought your lock-picking set right?" I asked, and he felt his pocket as if checking, then nodded. Shelton would hate to die without his baby.

I stepped aside to let him work. As I watched his hands expertly toy with the locks, I couldn't help but notice they were slightly shaking. He was scared too.

A minute later, the locks turned with a click. "Got it." He said, stepping back so I could walk through.

Inside, the church was dark. But somebody had lit candles along the altar, as if expecting somebody. Murals of Mary and Jesus and God were along the walls, and I couldn't help but think that a demon would live in a holy place was a bit strange.

Ellie sat on the altar, her ankles crossed and her wings and halo out in their full glory. Hopping off the altar, she approached us quickly.

"We don't have much time now. I need somebody to do something for me." She said, and before I could protest she gave me a chalice full of wine. "Go pour this into the shape of a circle in front of the altar." She said, turning to point to the steps leading up to it.

I walked down the aisle and bowed my head respectfully before starting at the top of the stairs, making the wine curve into the shape of a circle as it dripped down the steps. It was a fairly big circle when I was done. When I turned around, I saw the boys were placing holy objects around the church, obeying Ellie's instructions.

"So, where are the angels?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"They are coming. Trust me." She said, and then told me to place crosses at different points around the church.

When I was done, we all gathered at the front near the doors. Ellie was near the circle, murmuring words under her breath.

Realizing that we had nothing better to do, we all sat in a pew, Ben's arms around me.

"I can't believe I'm going to die like this." I say.

"I can't believe I'm going to die without meeting Han Solo just once." Shelton added.

"I can't believe I'm going to die a virgin." Hi said as he put his hands behind his head.

"I think we all knew you were going to die a virgin." Ben said, earning an eye roll from Hi.

I snuggled closer to Ben, kissing his cheek. "I love you." I whisper.

He buried his face in my hair. "I love you too." He murmured back, and I closed my eyes to hug Ben one last time.

Suddenly a snarl made us all jump. At the front of the church, Ellie was squaring off to a huge creature I hadn't ever seen before. It was a strange mix of a panther, rhinoceros, hippo, and tiger, competed with horns on the top of its head. It snarled again, lumbering towards her.

A white flash behind us illuminated the room, making the demon hiss. We all turned to see who it was.

The angels had come.

**Okay that was cliffhangy, but I wanted it to be that way, so suck it up.**

** I found out today that if you put your ear buds up your nose, you can use your mouth as a speaker, but you can't hear much. **

** If you tried this, review. **

** If you didn't try this, review anyway. **

** It's fool proof!**

** -Lilith**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay so great idea came to me today. I guarantee that you will feel some hatred/sadness towards me either in this chapter or the next, but I don't care. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**

Big question: what do angels look like?  
Uh, well how about I let my eyes adjust for a minute and then I'll tell you.

Okay, much better.

Hot damn.

At first all I could see was white wispy-like figures clutching weapons, swords and whips and knives, but now I could see some features: golden hair, brown eyes, pale skin. Some held crosses peacefully to their chests, others silently brandished weapons of their own. The girls wore fluid and silky white gowns, which flowed from their shoulders to their feet, while the boys sported a tunic and some weird scratchy-looking pants: probably what they had died in.

"My breathen: I am glad to see you have come. This demon has feasted on the human souls we are assigned to protect, and invokes God's name. Help me destroy this monster, with the help of my friends, and then we will celebrate." Ellie's voice seemed to echo in the cathedral, even causing the flames from the candles to flicker.

The angels glanced at the demon, then nodded in unison before forming ranks. Surrounding the demon in a circle, their bodies and wings prevented me from seeing what was going on.

The demon hissed, and a couple of the angels ducked as a jet of green slime hit the old brick wall, causing it to smolder and smoke. It was melting it, I realized with horror.

"Use to holy water! Make sure the humans don't know what's going on!" A voice yelled, and we sat there for a minute, watching the ooze with terror, before I got up and ran to it, dousing it with the blessed liquid. The ooze steamed on impact, but where the ooze had been left a crater when the mist cleared away.

Suddenly, an angel was flown backwards, hitting the altar with a thump. Unsure what to do exactly but knowing I had to help sometime, I left the boys to see to the toxic slime on the walls and rushed towards the angel.

He stared at me with a dazed expression, his dark eyes confused. I felt as if I had seen him before, but I couldn't remember where. It took me a second to realize that I was looking at Michael, Ellie's boyfriend.

"What do I need to do?" I asked in a whisper, and he looked at my neck. It took me a minute to realize he was looking at the cross charm around my neck, and I took it off and placed it in his palm. I watched as he closed his fingers around it, then his body seemed to hum as the charm's holy power flowed through his veins.

Then he stood up and wrapped his hands around my wrists, allowing me to stand. Michael stared at me for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Watch your boyfriend."

Then with that he was gone.

I looked around to find a couple more angels collapsed against the wall, Hi attending to one while Ben and Shelton saw to the ooze burning through the walls. I took the necklace in my hands and began to pass it around, healing more and more angels. The process was slow, but it was worth it.

The demon reared, and as it did I saw gashes on its face, neck, chest, and legs. The blood was like oil: thick and black and slimy. He shot another slime ball from his mouth, and I saw a flicker of a black forked tongue.

The slime had hit a pew, which was unfortunately near the demon. As Ben rushed forward to see to it, I felt a jolt go through my heart. Something was wrong.

Ben knelt at the pew and began dousing a bottle of holy water on it, wafting the steam away so he could see what he was doing. The demon's pitch black eyes focused on him, and then I felt a change in the air. I could smell ozone, and I knew that there was something very scary and wrong going on.

Then Ben collapsed, slumping forward, slime forgotten.

I ran to him, then knelt at his side, curling his head into my stomach so I could get a look at his face. His eyes were glassy and his mouth was slightly opened. As I pressed my hand to his heart, I felt a slow and distant beat, weak against my palm.

"No. No Ben. Don't do this." I whispered, tears forming in my eyes as I looked at my boyfriend's eyes.

There was a sudden flash, and I heard a guttural scream. Looking up, I saw that the demon had vanished and the angels were disappearing.

"Wait!" I cried, and one guy turned to look at me. "What about Ben?"

He shook his head sadly. "We promised only to fight the demon, not bring back the dead, for our master has yet to give us that power." And with that he was gone.

The church fell silent except for my sobs, which were causing my body to shake. I pressed my hand to his heart against but this time there was nothing. No signs of life, no drumming of his heart, nothing.

Ben Blue was dead.

I pressed my mouth to his, willing for him to respond. Nothing. Behind me, I could sense Hi and Shelton keeping a distance, mourning but not sure how to deal with female emotions. Screw them.

All I cared about was Ben.

I remembered Ben and me holding hands, kissing, taking a walk on Dead Cat beach on Loggerhead. His hair, which was soft under my fingers when I curled my hands up in his hair to kiss him. The feel of his muscles under my small hands as I gripped onto them when I hugged him, the salty tang to his lips when we kissed.

My hopes, my dreams.

All gone.

** Hate me now? Don't worry, I'm going to make you love me again. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**


	18. Chapter 18

** If you didn't understand how Ben died, let me clear that up for you. It wasn't the slime that got to him, but do you remember that Ellie said that the demon feasted on human souls? Well, in angel speak, that translates to: 'This son of a bitch kills humans that we protect.' Got it now? Good. **

** Anyway, review!**

** -Lilith**

Sobs wracked my body, fueling the tears that cascaded down my face. Burying my head into his shirt, I bawled my eyes out, making the fabric wet. Underneath it, I could feel his body growing cold, lifeless.

"Please don't leave me." I whisper, pressing my lips into his side. My wild tangle of hair became a curtain around my face, shielding me from the rest of the world. Beneath my closed eyes, I could feel the cold wetness from my tears and pulled away, the sensation uncomfortable.

Instead I stretched out on Ben's body, lining myself up with him. We were chest to chest, hip to hip, my arms along the sides of his chest and my legs curled up in a kneeling position around his legs. Curling into him, I tried to pretend that he was still alive, that he would smooth my hair down my back as I cried, comforting me.

The façade didn't sink into my heart though, which was throbbing and aching in my chest. My mind seemed to believe it, but my heart told me that Ben was gone forever, never to come again.

Never going to kiss me hello, never going to watch movies with me on Friday nights, never going to wrap his arms around me. Never going to smile when he saw me, never going to let me wear his shirt after we played in the water at the beach. Never going to lay down beside me on the couch when I was tired, never going to move my hair away from my face to kiss my cheek. Never going to pull me on his lap and pull a blanket on me to keep me warm, never going to hold me tight against him when I was scared. He wouldn't be there to kiss me in the rain, wouldn't be there to see me graduate, wouldn't be the groom at our wedding, wouldn't be at the hospital when I gave birth to my first child, wouldn't be watching my legacy carry on until I died…

That just made me sob harder, clutching him tighter against me. I could feel Hi and Shelton's gazes on me, awkwardly not knowing what to do. I could tell they wanted me to calm down so we could leave, but I wasn't ready to let go just yet.

Turning my face, I kissed his hair, then his forehead, down his nose until I kissed the tip, then lower, pecking his soft, cold lips. Reaching up, I closed his glassy eyes so it looked like he was sleeping, then kissed his cheeks and his ears. After I had touched my lips to the curve of his ears, I kissed his mouth again.

"I love you." I whispered, then kissed him again, deeper this time. I allowed my tongue to go in between his lips and touch his, lightly, then deeper.

Suddenly I felt his tongue twitch, causing me to pull away in shock. "Ben?" I breathed, his name on my lips becoming a question. Leaning down, I pressed my ear against his neck and listened, but I couldn't feel a pulse.

Had I imagined it? Of course I had. He was dead and wasn't coming back any time soon, wasn't going to see me until I died and reached the pearly gates. Or maybe until I reached the fires of hell, but still. Not for a long time.

My tears had dried up, but I could feel the stickiness from the tracks they had made on my face, and I knew my eyes were still red. The thought of not seeing Ben for a long time, not for years, decades, maybe almost a century if I lived that long, had brought fresh tears to my eyes again.

Whatever shock I had been through had passed, leaving a dull ache in its place. As I laid my cheek against his cold one, I let my tears fall off my cheeks. Pressing my mouth to his ear, I whispered, "I love you."

A tear that had been on my pale cheek slid down, running from my face to his. Where it landed I felt a small bloom of warmth, which then seemed to spread.

Pulling my face away, I stared at his face, my eyes widening with shock as his pale skin seemed to change, growing warmer and filling with blood. Placing my hands on either side of his face, I skimmed my thumbs over his cheeks, feeling warmth.

His eyes fluttered, then opened slowly. I knew distantly that my mouth was open and that my eyes were wide, but I was lost in his warm dark brown eyes, filled with life and warmth.

"Ben?" I asked, whispering his name softly.

"Tory?" He asked, murmuring my name.

"Ben!" I cried, hugging him tightly. His arms went around my waist, holding me there, as Hi and Shelton ran up. His eyes closed, a smile floating to his lips as he smelled my hair.

"But…how….you were….huh?" Shelton asked, shock and wonder making it hard for him to speak.

Hi on the other hand just stood there, not speaking and gawking. "What the…you…you were dead!"

"I was?" Ben asked, his voice sounding like sandpaper but familiar.

"Yeah. You stopped breathing and everything, and Tory was having a huge sob fest over here and crying all over you-

"How?" I broke Shelton off, staring at his face while I skimmed my thumb over his soft, warm cheek over and over again. I couldn't really process that he was right here, warm and alive and breathing, when I had just been straddling his lifeless corpse just minutes before.

"I don't really know. I couldn't see anything, it was so dark, like I was in a tunnel. But I couldn't see the end, and no matter how many times I tried to get out of the tunnel, I couldn't. But then I heard your voice, and I felt warm and could see a light. So I ran to it, and then I woke up here." He confessed.

"Well, you died. That's for sure."

"But how am I here then?" Ben asked, looking just as confused as I felt.

"I don't care about that right now. As long as you're here, it doesn't matter." I whispered, and he smiled before getting up. Cradling my body against his chest, I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me out of the church, Shelton and Hi behind us.

** Don't worry: I am going to explain how Ben came back in my last chapter. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**


	19. Chapter 19

** So this is my last chapter of Hunted, and the following is an explanation on how exactly Ben came back. **

** I might due a little thing at the end, maybe not. A chapter that tells you where I got these ideas for Hunted and everything. If nobody reviews and tells me that they want a chapter on that, then I'm not doing that. It's all up to you. **

** Review!**

** -Lilith**

**_One week later…_**

****It's been a week since Ben died and came back, and honestly it's been the best week ever.

After we left the church, I fell asleep on Ben's boat and to be sweet Ben wrapped me up in a blanket and let me sleep on his chest. The following day we spent together, on Dead Cat beach on Loggerhead. He even packed a picnic and everything.

I hadn't been able to stay away from him for a long period of time last week, and Ben didn't really seem to mind. I don't think that he could stay away from me for a long period of time either, especially after that whole NDE (near death experience).

But now I needed some answers.

When I had woke up in my bed that morning, I found a small note on my bedside table.

_Meet me at the woods near the Citadel. _

_ -E_

So here I was now, walking a stone path I had walked before. After all, you can't ignore a heavenly request, right?

The Citadel peeked out from between the trees. I had bad memories of that place, of the Gamemaster's evil tricks. In that little escapade, we had been trapped in the basement with Jason and had to make a dangerous choice: let poisonous gas kill us or kill the people upstairs. In the end we had to knock out Jason and escaped the basement, then faced a suspicious Chance and a tired Jason at Chance's after party. Not good memories at all.

The soft sound of creaking made me tear my eyes away from the building. Underneath a tree branch, a white bench swing stood, creaking as the wind blew it back and forth slightly. A girl wearing a simple black dress sat on it, her long black-brown hair fluttering in the wind as she swung back and forth. I didn't remember seeing her before.

The girl smiled. She looked my age, maybe a bit older. "Looking for something?" She asked, her eyes strangely familiar.

"Yes. I'm supposed to meet my friend here. Have you seen her? Blond hair, blue eyes, kind of shy?" I asked, descripting Ellie.

"No. I haven't seen anybody else here. Are you sure you're in the right place?" She asked, her eyes kind.

"Yes. She said specifically the woods around the Citadel."

"Strange. Perhaps your friend is too tired or something to meet you. Maybe she had a long night." She suggested.

"Maybe." I didn't really buy it. Ellie would keep her promise. "I'm going to go look for her."

"Okay." I turned and walked down the path again, looking for Ellie. Still no sign. Turning, I walked back up it. My blond haired friend was MIA.

"Still no sign?" The girl asked when I saw her again.

"No. I'm kind of worried: she never has let me down before." I confess, and she shrugged.

"You never know Tory. She might be here and you didn't know it." She said.

Something triggered inside my head. Had I told her my name? No. She didn't know anything about me except what I look like and that I was looking for Ellie, and that's it. So how did she know this?

Unless…

"Ellie?" I asked, and she grinned.

"What the heck? Why didn't you just show up looking like yourself?" I asked, sitting beside her on the wooden, old bench swing.

"I'm still recovering from that fight, and don't have enough power to maintain my own form. So I just borrowed a body. No big deal."

_"Borrowed a body?"_ I asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry: Catherine died a long time ago. The only reason I don't look like a dead person right now is because I restored her. I don't know how some poor jogger would react if they saw a pile of bones swinging on a bench swing."

"Oh." I say. She didn't feel dead: she felt warm. I could feel the heat coming from her, a comforting feeling.

"I called you here to talk about your boyfriend." She said, her voice calm.

"Oh. I guess you heard about that."

"Uh, yeah. It's huge news if somebody had an NDE. So I bet you're wondering how you brought him back, correct?"

"_I_ brought him back?" I asked.

"Well, obviously. You were the only one given that power. But I wanted to talk to you about that, clear things up for you."

"Okay. Clear away." I say, sitting back against the wood.

She paused for a moment, trying to decide how to put this. "Angels have this ability –we call it marshaling- where we can bestow upon a human one miracle. That human is allowed to use it however he/she wants to use it. It extends to pretty much anything: from bringing back to the dead to killing a weed in somebody's garden. That human had to do something big to gain that power though."

My memory flashed at that, and I remembered Michael laying on the floor of the cathedral, healing him. "Michael did that?" I asked.

"Yes. His way of saying thank you. But when you brought Ben back, you used your one miracle."

I let that sink in. I had been given a huge power without knowing it and had used it in minutes. Of course, I hadn't known that at the time, so it wasn't completely my fault.

"Do you regret using your miracle on him?" Ellie asked, her bright blue eyes examining mine.

Did I regret it? Did I regret not saving the wonderful life I would live out now that I had made that choice? No. Call me selfish, but I had spent my power in the best way possible: saving somebody I had loved.

"Not really." I confess, and she smiled.

"Well, I must go." She said, standing up abruptly.

"Wait. Where are you going?" I asked, and she put one hand on her hip.

"Well, the Big Guy upstairs kind of got mad for endangering four humans and put a restriction on us. Angels can't see humans as much as they could before unless it's an emergency. God let me do this just this one time, but if I stay he'll become mad. And trust me: you don't want him to become mad."

"Of course not." I shuddered, imagining the horrors that the man who made the world could inflict.

"Maybe I'll see you in fifty years or so, maybe not. Either way, it should be a long time-

"_Fifty_ years?"

"Time is different when you're dead. To God, in a blink of an eye a human could be born, live his life, and then die."

"Woah." I said, trying to imagine that life passed that fast.

"Exactly. To him, fifty years is like five minutes." She said.

"So, this is it, huh?" I asked, and she offered me a sad smile.

"For a while, yes. Don't worry: I'll be there when you die." Ellie promised.

"I'm going to miss you." I confess as I hugged her, her soft brown hair smelling of vanilla.

"I'm going to miss you too." She whispered back, then pulled back and stroked my face.

"Have a good life Tory."

With that she was gone.

** The end. So Tory won't be seeing much of Ellie for a while now. **

** Anyway, if you really want a following chapter on how I came up with the character Ellie, the story plot, that kind of stuff, just tell me in your review or PM me. If not I won't do it. I need at least one person to review, since even though I have like a thousand hits on Hunted, I only have a few reviews. **

** So review!**

** -Lilith**


	20. The Origin of Ellie

Okay so somebody did review, so I am going to post an extra chapter, but this is about Ellie. Where did she come from? Is her character based off of anybody? Why did you choose to make her an angel? Good questions, and I hope to answer all of them.

Everything that I shaped Ellie to be in this story was based off of me in some way. Her fictional past is like my real past, not completely of course, but still pretty close. Her kindness, compassion, and unselfishness are all based off of my inner personality. Her death is also based off of my personality: that she was so unselfish that instead of letting her friends be captured or die, she died for them. That is a huge act of unselfishness, and I hope that one day I will achieve that. Her life after death as an angel was also based after me, since I hope that after I die I can continue helping others on Earth. Ellie originally was born from my imagination, then became a solid character as I added details from my life to hers. Her appearance is not based after anybody or anything, but her name is actually based off of a friend I once had. I don't know if there really is a dead Ellie Kaya Feather, or if somebody is named Ellie Kaya Feather. If there is or you know somebody named Ellie Feather, PM me. Seriously. That would be cool.

Sorry that was short but that's really all I have to say about Ellie. If you want any more info about the origin of any of my fanfics, just PM or tell me in your reviews.

Also, thank you viralsisamazing, V6 Trick-Shot, Wolfgirlrocks1, Xiennaphine R, AIR, and Dixiewinxwrites12 for commenting. Thank you to all you other fans who read it. You are truly awesome.

-Lilith


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